BBC Proms 2016: Prom 54 - Mozart: Clarinet Concerto, Requiem (Collegium Vocale Gent / Budapest Festival Orchestra / Fischer)

26th August 2016
Royal Albert Hall, London, United Kingdom

MOZART Aria "Per questa bella mano"
MOZART Clarinet Concerto
MOZART Requiem (Süssmayr completion)

Ákos Ács (clarinet)
Lucy Crowe (soprano)
Barbara Kozelj (mezzo-soprano)
Jeremy Ovenden (tenor)
Hanno Müller‐Brachmann (bass-baritone)
Collegium Vocale Gent
Budapest Festival Orchestra
Iván Fischer (conductor)



It has just occured to me that, prior to yesterday's preparation, with the exception of excerpts in a production of Pushkin's "Mozart and Salieri", I had not properly heard Mozart's "Requiem" (Süssmayr completion) since 1997. 19 years down the line, having been exposed to Mozart's genius more broadly and deeply, and having inevitably witnessed deaths, all sorts of artistic and philosophical questions rise above the sheer drama of this mythical work. Of course, one can legitimately question the point of performing this work which contains about 90% of content that have nothing to do with Mozart himself, but there are still much to consider beyond the fables. It is a minor-key work, which indicates either a dramatic or personal nature, and the only completed section, the "Introitus", sounds overly accusatory even for a 35-year-old envisaging early death (and the final judgement). It makes one wonder what Mozart's vision would have been had he completed the full setting. The later sections sound much thinner and underwhelming compared to the opening, so Iván Fischer had the Collegium Vocale Gent and Budapest Festival Orchestra paring down the drama to make it a more homogeneous entity. Overall, the performance was very compact, concise and clinical. This Prom would have been earth-shattering in a Cambridge chapel, but doing it in the RAH means that the refinement of the 20 singers integrated at the heart of the 40-strong orchestra were outperformed by the soloists who went full throttle to reach the corners of the hall. This all-1791 Mozart Prom started with an aria "Per questa bella mano", which featured a very difficult double bass part. The last minute substitution of a bass-baritone in place of a bass led to a timbre imbalance, otherwise it was a nice gem. It was followed by Mozart's last completed instrumental work, the "Clarinet Concerto", which was excellently handled by Ákos Ács. The slow movement was a wonder, and Mozart is perhaps the only person who can make anyone enjoy listening to scales and arpeggios. The orchestra could have contributed more to the conversational aspects of the music, but it was a very elegant performance overall.